“I really think it’s what we need,” Cavallaro said. “It would increase our access to background information, so we really know who these people are. It will help us rent to good tenants.”

Corning City Police Chief Salva-tore Trentanelli supports the idea.

“Some landlords already request background checks, but the majority don’t,” Trentanelli said. “The association could help in that aspect.”

Trentanelli said the formation of the group would also create a new avenue for communication between landlords.

“And if they took good records they could also track troubled renters who may not break the law, but create other problems,” Trentanelli said.

In Bath, a similar landlords association performs background checks on potential tenants and police say the effort is paying off. Bath Chief Dave Rouse has said crime in the village is down as a result. That association also has members from nearby towns.

Speed limit involves larger issue

BRIGHTON — Brighton town officials recently approved to send a “home rule” message to Albany, requesting that they be allowed to set the speed limit for town roads. The message is a letter to the state Senate, requesting to have greater flexibility in managing their town speed limit.

Their hope is to drop the current speed limit of all 30 mph town roads down to 25. There is no set legislation in place for towns to be able to do that now, but there is a process in which residents can request to have their own neighborhood streets’ speed limit lowered through petitioning.

As of now, state law requires that town governments go on a street-by-street basis. Currently, there are about 120 town roads in Brighton that have a 25 mph speed limit. A town-wide change would affect about 60 more, said Tom Low, Brighton’s commissioner of public works. County and state roads would not be affected by the change.

“We’ve had so many requests across town for that type of change, we thought it would be more efficient to do those kinds of changes in the aggregate,” said Supervisor Sandra Frankel.

Last April, Sens. Joe Robach, Jim Alesi, Michael Nozzolio and George Maziarz a drafted a bill that would give Brighton and other Rochester suburbs — Greece, Irondequoit, Ogden, Webster and Penfield — the right to lower their town road speed limits. Assemblyman Joe Morelle has also drafted similar legislation for the state Assembly.

Firefighters respond quickly to house fire

FRANKFORT – Quick and decisive action by the Frankfort Volunteer Fire Department and other responding agencies were able to keep an upstairs fire on South Litchfield Street in Frankfort contained to two rooms on Sunday afternoon, thus saving the rest of the house.

The fire department received a call from the Herkimer County Emergency 911 Center at 3:15 p.m. about the blaze at 408 S. Litchfield St.

Fire Captain Matthew Palumbo happened to be driving by the two-story house and noticed the blaze. He also called the fire department to alert other firefighters and then he hurried into the house and got the two occupants out safely.

Palumbo said there was heavy fire and flames coming out of the upstairs section of the house when firefighters arrived.

After the fire was contained to the bedroom and adjoining small bathroom, firefighters then began salvage and overhaul procedures and checked for extensions of the fire according to Palumbo.

Firefighters were able to determine afterward the cause of the fire as electrical.

Palumbo said the occupants will be staying with a family member in Clinton. He added the occupants didn’t accept aid from the American Red Cross Mohawk Valley Chapter because they had family nearby to stay with

Rochester woman killed in collision with rig on I-390 exit

GENESEO – A Rochester woman is dead after the car she was driving struck a tractor trailer.

Livingston County Sheriff’s deputies said Jeannie M. Cruz, 33, of Rochester was killed Sunday when the vehicle she was operating struck a tractor trailer from behind at 10:44 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of State Route 20A and Exit 8 of Interstate 390.

Deputies say upon arrival, they discovered Cruz’s vehicle, which was traveling west on State Route 20A, rear-ended a tractor trailer, which was stationary facing west and waiting to turn south onto Interstate 390.

Cruz was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies say the operator of the tractor trailer, David E. Griepsma, no age given, of Bloomfield, was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for chest pains, but was uninjured, according to deputies.

Undersheriff Martin Herkimer said this morning the cause of the incident seems to be accidental.

Herkimer said reconstruction deputies said the truck was stopped in traffic waiting to turn onto the interstate.

“He was waiting due to oncoming traffic,” he said. “Apparently, she didn’t see the truck.”

Herkimer said he does not expect any charges as a result of the incident.

Campus gets commerical hub

HENRIETTA — The old college bookstore ain’t what it used to be. This one will be Barnes & Noble.

Ten tenants, including a Barnes & Noble, will occupy a new development, Park Point at RIT, adjacent to the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Wilmorite Inc. unveiled eight of those tenants Friday evening. At this point, 95 percent of the commercial space in the mixed-use development is rented out.

A convenience store, a salon and an ice cream store are among the shops moving into in August.

RIT students and faculty, as well as other community members, are able to rent space in the apartments at Park Point. Currently, about 70 percent of the residential space — which features 300 furnished apartments — is rented out.

Anchoring the site is a two-story Barnes & Noble, which will act as RIT’s campus bookstore, said James Watters, the university’s senior vice president for finance and administration.

Up until now, RIT has owned and operated its own bookstore. “We took a lot of anguish in making that decision,” Watters said.

Case of Legionnaires' disease confirmed

ROCHESTER — Officials at Rochester General Hospital have confirmed a case of Legionnaires’ disease in a patient who was previously discharged from the hospital.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria known as legionella. The bacteria is normally found in most water sources.
The patient possibly acquired the condition in the hospital, according to hospital spokesman Michael Tedesco.

In a press release issued Monday morning, the hospital said the patient is being treated with antibiotics and is improving at home. The legionella bacteria does not spread from person to person and infected individuals are not contagious.

Contractors strut their stuff

HENRIETTA — Want to learn about tankless water heaters, buying a generator or replacement windows? How about building "green?" Or simply how to choose a contractor — and what should be in the contract?
Then the Better Contractors' Bureau's 24th annual Home Fair Expo, coming up this weekend, might be the place for you.

The event annually draws 11,000 or so visitors and 285 exhibitors.
Exhibits will include information about and products for windows, doors, generators, kitchens, alarm systems, pools, fireplaces, decks, and more. There will be exhibitors who will help you with financing and professional architects on hand. Contractors who specialize in patio rooms, under-floor heating, central vacuums, gutters, flooring, masonry and home products will also have displays.

Times are 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 1; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the Dome Center and Minette Hall, E. Henrietta at Calkins roads, Henrietta. Tickets are $6. For more information, go to www.the-bcb.net or call (585) 338-3600.